Without insurance, I can’t afford to go back to my optometrist, and I really need new glasses. So I did some investigating.
I’ve got a LensCrafters, a Pearle Vision Center, and a Walmart with a Vision Center, all roughly an hour away from me.
They all charge $60 for an exam, but my AAA membership brings LensCrafters down to $42.
Do any of you have any experience with any of these chains? (Can I use “any” more times in a sentence?) Was that experience good or bad? Would you go so far as to recommend any of them?
Thanks.
Mods: This is a sincere request for information — I really don’t know which to pick. But if you think responding posts would violate board rules by recommending businesses, please delete the thread.
I’ve gotten good service from Sear, Target, and Empire Vision Center, as well as from various small optometrists.
In general, eye exams are not complicated. The optometrists will do the same thing and write up a prescription based on what you tell them when they ask questions.*
Lenses are all sent to labs – which is probably what your local optometrist would do. It’s just a matter of choosing the right frames. The selection can vary.
I’ve never had any issues. Figure out who has the best deal and go with them.
*They also can find your current prescription simply by looking at your lenses.
Yep - I haven’t gone to an “actual” optometrist since I was a kid. I’ve gone to LensCrafters, Sears, HourEyes, and others, and have always been satisfied with my prescription. The only problem I had was at my last visit, to HourEyes - I got measured for both glasses and contacts, and when I got home, I found I didn’t feel comfortable with my contacts. I went back and she remeasured and gave me a slightly different scrip, which was perfect.
Well, there was also the fact that they ground both pairs of glasses wrong, and I had to go back and have them redone, but that was not the fault of the optometrist. And they were great once they redid them.
I go to the optometrists associated with Pearle Vision in the local mall. Technically, they don’t work for Pearle Vision, and you can actually go somewhere else for your glasses if you want to. I think the experience is better than the “regular” optometrist I used to go to because it is so much more convenient. They have evening and weekend hours, and they also have a camera that takes pictures of your retina instead of using those eyedrops that make it impossible for me to see clearly/drive for many hours after the exam. (Caveat: my insurance does not cover that, so I pay extra. They will do the drops instead if you want them to. But now I’ve got pictures of my retina in my file, so it’s easy to see if there are any changes over time.) So much better than needing to take off work and then getting someone to drive me home in the middle of the day.
The optometrist is going to have the same medical degree and licensing no matter where you go. I’ve gone to Walmart for all of my eye exams and been quite happy with the doc. You can take your prescription and get the actual glasses anywhere (even online, if you like). Just make sure they do a pupil-distance measurement and write it on the rx form, too.
I had my glasses made at Pearle Vision, but I didn’t have to. I’ve never gone to LensCrafters, but I’ve found that the “about an hour” thing is a bunch of hooey because they never, never have the lenses they need to make my prescription in stock. I am nearsighted with astigmatism, which I don’t think is extremely weird, but it must not be extremely common. It usually takes several days. (One place took several weeks, which is why I switched to Pearle in the first place.)
They’re not all in all states, but there’s a chain called Cohen’s Fashion Optical that offers $20 exams in New York and $29 exams in the other states they’re located in (up and down the east coast I think).
America’s Best has a free exam with their glasses. They push the extra tests very hard, but the basic eye exam is free with your cheap two pairs of glasses.
I’ve been wearing them for years. They are not a good choice if you need glasses today, as they test you, you pick frames, then they call you back in a week when they are ready. I usually get two pairs off the $39.99 rack, and don’t get any special features. I’m simply nearsighted, and while I should be wearing bifocals, I’m perfectly comfortable taking my glasses off for close work.
Maybe the laws vary by state, but Texas optometrists are officially independent. They might have offices next to the place you buy your glasses, but you aren’t committed to where you fill your prescription. And I doubt an optometrist would prescribe lenses you didn’t need just to drum up business…
I went to the optometrist next to Costco because I thought the glasses there might be a good deal. She was very thorough & pleasant; I continued seeing her even after I realized my lifestyle did not suit a Costco membership. (I get my glasses here.)
I have a friend who has ordered glasses online from http://www.zennioptical.com/ at a very reduced rate (frames AND lenses starting at $6.95) - you just need all your prescription information. And they have a huge selection of frames - you can upload your picture and “try on” frames I found a bunch I liked and when it’s time to go through the new glasses drill again, I’ll give them a try. My friend was really pleased with them.
Discount optometrists are perfectly fine for an eye exam. But I’m still going to find an independent next time I need a prescription.
I wear contacts, so this gripe really doesn’t apply to the OP, but the contact lens prescription necessarily includes the brand/product name as well as the measurement and power. So what happens is when I go to the discount optometrist that works in the glasses & contacts chain, they write me a prescription for a store brand product. It may be the exact same type of lenses as the general brand product available on various online stores, but because the scrip is written for the store brand I’m not allowed to buy them online, which is cheaper and delivered faster than if I purchased through the store. I had to twist the optometrist’s arm last time to get him to write the right scrip, and he wasn’t happy about it.
So next time, to save the hassle, I intend to find an optometrist who doesn’t have a vested interest in selling me lenses, just getting me the best scrip for my eyes.
I found a bunch I liked and when it’s time to go through the new glasses drill again, I’ll give them a try. My friend was really pleased with them.